India vs New Zealand 2017: 5 player battles to watch out for

The Indian team, fresh from the series victory against Australia, are all set to face off against New Zealand, who will be touring the country for the second time in two years.

The last time the Black Caps were in India, the hosts managed to register a series victory, but it won't be plain sailing this time around considering the experience in the visitors' ranks.

Both the teams boast of some superstars in the squad and in light of the series, here are five player battles to watch out for.

#5 Rohit Sharma vs Trent Boult

Boult proved to be a nemesis for Rohit in the previous tour

It's no false rumour that opener Rohit Sharma hasn't had the best of outings against left-arm seamers, often falling to the angle created by the likes of Mohammad Amir and most recently, Australian quick Jason Behrendorff.

In the upcoming series against New Zealand, the Mumbaikar will face off against Trent Boult, New Zealand's pace spearhead, and it remains to be seen how Rohit formulates a solution to counter the angles and nullify the effect that the left arm quick generates on the day.

The last time the two teams faced off, in October, Boult got the better of Rohit on two occasions and ahead of the series, Rohit mentioned that he was prepared to face the Kiwi speedster. However, he also went on to claim that it would be a challenge for any Indian batsman to face the quick.

#4 Bhuvneshwar Kumar vs Martin Guptill

Bhuvneshwar Kumar's guile vs Guptill's attacking style of play. Who will win?

Over time, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has blossomed into one of India's best bowlers and it would be interesting to see how he fares against Martin Guptill, whose approach to batting is quite unique. Guptill can, on his day, tear any bowling attack to shreds.

With the ability to swing the ball both ways, Bhuvneshwar's opening spell will be crucial for India especially against the hard-hitting Guptill who will look to assume the aggressor's role right at the top of the order.

In the previous tour of India in October 2016, Guptill was not in the best of form and the opener will look to make amends this time around. However, Bhuvneshwar's guile and immaculate line and length will be a major obstacle and their mini-battle could indeed spice up the contest.

#3 Hardik Pandya vs Tim Southee

Pandya's big hitting could come to the fore

On the one hand, we have a hard-hitter who can decimate any given attack on his day, and on the other, one of the best seamers going around who, with his swing and accurate line and length, has stemmed the flow of runs each time he has come on to bowl. The match could well come down to the contest between Hardik Pandya and Tim Southee.

Slotting into the middle order, Pandya's pyrotechnics with the bat and finishing skills have come to the fore on more than just a few occasions and if need be, he could well be pushed up the order to up the ante. Given his strike rate against spin, the only option for NZ would be to turn to Southee.

The Black Caps will have to be aware of Pandya's firepower, and the fact that he's fresh from picking up the Man of the Series award against Australia would only emphasise the need for Southee to be at his very best.

#2 Indian wrist spinners against New Zealand's middle order

The spin duo will have a crucial role to play

One of India's biggest success stories against Australia was the efficiency of the wrist spinning duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav, both of whom complemented each other to apply the brakes on Australia's charge whilst also picking crucial wickets in the middle orders.

In NZ's previous tour of India in 2016, Amit Mishra tormented the batsmen, and with two wrist spinners this time around, the going will not get any easier.

However, New Zealand's middle order comprises the likes of Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor and Colin Munro amongst others who have enough experience to tackle spin.

#1 Virat Kohli vs Mitchell Santner

Kohli's form will be crucial for India

The Indian skipper's wicket will be, without a shadow of a doubt, the one that New Zealand would target early on in the innings, given his ability to construct innings of substance to take the game away from the opposition.

Although Kohli was not in the greatest of form in the recent series against Australia, his ability to turn the tables on the opposition with the bat is something the New Zealanders will be wary of. One man who can pose a stiff challenge to Kohli will be left-arm orthodox Mitchell Santner.

The spinner has tons of experience under his belt and has played many matches against India, something that could come in handy against the Indian skipper. Assuming Kohli will bat for a majority of the time in the middle overs, how he handles the spin of Santner will be key to India's success.